Every language consists of its basic elements, that are called words. As a building is made of bricks; language is made of words.
A word is a speech sound or a combination of sounds that has a specific meaning for an idea, object, or thought and has a spoken or written form.
Often, a single word has a complete context, but sometimes there is a need to mix up the words to make sensible and meaningful sentences.
According to English language rules and regulations, we can’t blindly connect words with each other. We have to follow the particular rules to do this.
For this purpose, there are eight parts of speeches that are widely used to form meaningful sentences and to make engaging content.
By using parts of speech, we can create rhythms and strong bonds between words.
The main eight parts of speech include:
- Noun
- Pronoun
- Verb
- Adverb
- Adjective
- Preposition
- Conjunction
- Interjection
A comprehensive study analyzing a corpus of English texts found that nouns make up approximately 20-25% of all words in typical English writing.
Reference: Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Pearson Education Limited.
A global survey conducted by a linguistic research institute found that about 70% of respondents could correctly identify and define nouns and verbs, while only 50% could accurately describe the functions of conjunctions and prepositions.
Reference: Linguistic Society of America.
Let’s discuss the parts of speech in detail with appropriate examples.
1. Noun
A noun is a word that is used to name a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are one of the most essential parts of speech in the English language.
Nouns are one of the most common parts of speech in English. They typically make up about 20-30% of the words in everyday usage.
They serve as the main subject or object in a sentence, providing particular information about what or whom the sentence is about.
Let’s have a detail:
- Persons: These are names of individuals or groups of people.
Examples include David, pilots, Alex, teachers, and John, etc.
- Places: These nouns refer to locations or navigation.
Examples include Zoo, Canada, classroom, offices, etc.
- Things: These are tangible objects or entities.
Examples include books, cars, computers, mats, apples, etc.
- Ideas: These nouns represent abstract concepts or notions.
Examples include freedom, happiness, democracy, knowledge, etc.
Further types of noun:
Noun are further classified into the following:
- Common noun
- Proper noun
- Abstract noun
- Compound nouns, etc
Rules of noun
- Nouns can be singular or plural (e.g., book/books).
- Proper nouns, which name specific entities, are capitalized (e.g., London, Sarah).
- Common nouns refer to general items and are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence (e.g., city, dog).
Examples
- Alex, High School, Freedom, books, and cats etc.
2. Pronoun
Pronouns are used instead of nouns in sentences. These are used to make sentences more clear and concise. It is used to avoid repetition and to simplify sentences.
You can also use AI powered tools like a sentence generator, a paragraph generator and others to create accurate sentences with the use of pronouns.
Types of pronouns:
Pronouns are further categorized into the following types:
- Reflex pronoun
- Personal pronoun
- Relative pronoun
- Possessive pronoun
Rules of pronoun:
- Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number and gender (e.g., he for a singular male antecedent).
The pronoun "it" is often the most common, making up about 1-2% of all words in many texts.
- Common types of pronouns include personal (I, you, he, she), possessive (my, your, his), reflexive (myself, yourself), and relative (who, which).
Examples of pronoun:
- Personal: She is going to the store.
- Possessive: This is my book.
- Reflexive: He prepared himself for the exam.
- Relative: The car that is parked outside is mine.
3. Verbs
Verbs are words that express actions, events, or states of being.
They are essential to the predicate of a sentence, providing information about what the subject is doing or what is happening to the subject.
Do you know? In English, there are approximately 25,000 verbs, but only about 1,000 are used regularly in everyday speech.
Let’s have a detail:
Verbs can be classified based on their function and form:
- Action verbs: It describe physical or mental actions (e.g., run, jump, think, believe).
- Linking Verbs: It connects the subject to a subject complement that describes or identifies the subject (e.g., am, is, are, was, were, seem, become).
- Helping (Auxiliary) Verbs: It helps the main verb in a sentence by extending its meaning (e.g., have, has, had, do, does, did, will, shall, would, should, can, could, may, might, must).
Rules of verbs:
- Verbs must agree with their subjects in number and person (e.g., She runs vs. They run).
- Tenses indicate the time of action (past, present, future).
Examples of verbs:
- Action: She walks every morning.
- Event: The dinner starts at 8 p.m.
- State of being: He is a lawyer.
4. Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe, modify, or provide more information about nouns or pronouns.
They help to add detail and clarify meaning in sentences by specifying the qualities or quantities of the things mentioned.
It can mostly be used in the paragraph to enhance the meaning of the noun.
Various attributes:
Adjectives can describe various attributes:
- Descriptive Adjectives: It provides information about the size, color, shape, and other qualities of a noun (e.g, small, blue, round, beautiful).
- Quantitative Adjectives This indicates the quantity of the nouns (e.g., some, many, few, several).
- Demonstrative Adjectives:They are used to point to specific nouns (e.g., this, that, these, and, those).
- Possessive Adjectives: These adjectives indicate ownership (e.g., my, your, his, her, its,our, and, their).
- Interrogative Adjectives: It is used in questions (e.g., which, what, whose).
Rules of adjective:
- Adjectives usually precede the noun they modify (e.g., a red apple).
- They can be used in comparative (bigger) and superlative (biggest) forms.
Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives (e.g., "bigger," "biggest") account for about 1-2% of adjectives used in typical texts.
Examples of adjective:
- Descriptive: She wore a beautiful dress.
- Comparative: This test is easier than the last one.
- Superlative: He is the tallest student in the class.
5. Adverbs
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire sentences.
They provide additional information about how, when, where, to what, or under what conditions something happens.
It can be used according to specific grammar rules to enhance the context of the sentence.
Let’s have a detail:
Adverbs answer questions such as:
- How?: This is used to describe the manner of an action (e.g., quickly, slowly, carefully).
- When?: It is used to indicate the time of an action (e.g., now, today, yesterday).
Time adverbs (e.g., "now," "then," "soon") make up approximately 20-25% of adverb usage.
- Where?: This indicates the place of an action (e.g., here, there, everywhere).
- To What Extent?: It shows an indication of the degree or intensity (e.g., very, quite, almost).
- Why?: This provides reasons (e.g., therefore, hence).
Adverbs often, but not always, end in "-ly." They can modify adjectives to make them stronger or weaker (e.g., very happy, slightly tired).
Rules of adverb:
- Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to adjectives (e.g., fast→ fastly).
- Adverbs can modify entire sentences (e.g., Unfortunately, we missed the bus).
Examples of adverb:
- Manner: She sings beautifully.
- Time: We will meet tomorrow.
- Place: He looked everywhere for his dress.
- Degree: She is very honest.
6. Prepositions
Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence.
They often indicate direction, location, time, or method.
Prepositions are always part of prepositional phrases, which start with the preposition and end with the object of the preposition (a noun or pronoun).
In academic writing, preposition usage can increase to 14-16% of total words due to more complex sentence structures.
You can also take care of spelling and grammar with the use of prepositions to complete meaningful sentences.
Some common prepositions include:
- Direction: To indicate direction, the terms used are to, from, up, down, across, and over (e.g., She walked to the store.).
- Location: For navigation, the prepositions are in, on, at, under, between, and among (e.g., The book is on the table.).
- Time: To show time, the used prepositions are before, after, during, ,since, and until (e.g., We will meet after lunch.).
- Means/Method: To indicate methods, the used term are by, with, through, and via (e.g., He arrived by car.).
Rules of preposition:
- Prepositions are followed by a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition).
- They are integral to prepositional phrases (e.g., in the room, on the table).
Examples of preposition:
- Direction: She walked to the hospital.
- Location: The book is on the table.
- Time: We will meet after dinner.
- Means: He arrived by car.
7. Conjunctions
Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence.
They help to create complex and compound sentences, adding variety and complexity to writing.
There are about 40 common conjunctions in English, but only about 7-10 are used very frequently.
Main categories of conjuctions:
Conjunctions can be divided into three main categories:
- Coordinating Conjunctions: It is used to connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance (e.g., for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
- Subordinating Conjunctions: It connects dependent clauses to independent clauses, showing a relationship such as cause and effect, contrast, or time (e.g., because, since, although, if, when).
- Correlative Conjunctions: It works in pairs to connect elements of equal importance (e.g., either/or, neither/nor, both/and)
Conjunction Rules:
- Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) connect elements of equal importance.
- Subordinating conjunctions (because, since, although) connect dependent clauses to independent clauses.
Examples of conjuction:
- Coordinating: She likes coffee and shakes.
- Subordinating: I stayed home because it was raining.
8. Interjection
Interjections are words or phrases that express strong emotion or sudden bursts of feeling. They often stand alone and are typically followed by an exclamation point.
Interjections can convey a wide range of emotions, including surprise, joy, anger, excitement, or frustration.
They are often used in casual or conversational language to add emphasis or convey the speaker's feelings.
Rules:
- Interjections are often followed by an exclamation point (!), but can also be set off by commas when the emotion is less strong.
Examples:
- Surprise: Wow!
- Joy: Yay!
- Anger: Ugh!
- Excitement: Hooray!
- Frustration: Darn!
Summing up
By summing up all of the above discussion, we conclude that in the English language, parts of speech play a vital role in making it meaningful and contextual.
Every single part of speech has a specific importance and a particular function to perform.
To enhance your language skills and the use of parts of speech, indulge deeper into grammar studies, practice writing regularly, and utilize grammar checking tools to test your understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Write two examples of conjunctions?
Some examples are: She likes to eat cake and pizza ; I am tired because I worked a lot.
2. How can we differentiate between adverbs and adjectives?
Adverbs are used to modify verbs, whereas adjectives modify nouns.
3. What is the purpose of prepositions?
Prepositions show relationships between nouns, pronouns, and other words in a sentence. For example, in "The book is on the table," it shows the relationship between book and table.